


Talking To The Moon

by moonbuns



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comfort No Hurt, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Holding Hands, M/M, Magic, Mild Hurt/Comfort, cosmic magic??, there's like no hurt tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:42:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25187362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonbuns/pseuds/moonbuns
Summary: Seungwoo wants to hold hands after a long day.
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Han Seungwoo
Comments: 29
Kudos: 63





	Talking To The Moon

Maybe it’s the alcohol in his system or maybe it’s the ambiance of sitting on his balcony in a cool night after a tough day, or maybe Seungwoo just really doesn’t know what he’s saying but something prompts him to cut off Wooseok’s rambling with,

“If only I could hold hands with the moon,” he sighs, looking up into the night with a wistful gleam in his eyes.

Wooseok stops short beside him, glancing at him first in shock and then in skeptical confusion. “Sorry, what? You want to what?”

“Hold hands,” Seungwoo responds softly. He stretches his arm out through the railing and leans his forehead against the cold metal, watching the moon through his fingers. “I think it would be nice.”

“ _I_ think we’ve had enough for tonight,” Wooseok mutters, gathering the empty beer bottles around them. He stands up, leaving Seungwoo still sitting on the ground with his legs hanging through the railings over the streets below, before heading inside to toss the bottles into the recycling bin.

“Shit!” Wooseok’s voice cuts sharply through the quiet after a few moments. “Is that the time?!”

Footsteps echo out of the open door behind Seungwoo and then Wooseok appears again, looking tired. “It’s past midnight, I didn’t even notice how long I’ve been here. I have work tomorrow! I’m gonna go, okay?”

Seungwoo can’t relate. He’s been trying to find a job for the past month and a half and the stress of it all has been difficult to bear. Today he had had an interview at a firm he had really, _really_ been interested in, but after how that went down, he isn’t so sure he’s going to make the cut. He just nods silently in response to Wooseok, giving him a soft smile and bidding him goodnight.

“Get home safe,” he tells him, even though Wooseok lives four doors down the hall and will be home faster than Seungwoo can brush his teeth. 

Seungwoo stays sitting there on his balcony even after he hears his front door fall shut behind Wooseok. He tips his head up to the night sky and closes his eyes, breathing in deeply as he feels a soft breeze dust over his cheeks. He listens to the distant sounds of the city moving, a steady hum that makes him feel small and insignificant, just a little speck in a vast universe. It should sound frightening, but something about it brings him a strange sort of comfort. 

He breathes out and opens his eyes again, fixing his gaze on the moon. The beers he’d consumed _are_ making his mind a little bit fuzzy, but he did mean it when he said he wanted to hold hands with it. He doesn’t know how to explain it, but the moon must be lonely. He smiles up at it, admiring the soft glow it casts on the navy sky.

Wait. Seungwoo blinks in confusion, tilting his head to the side as he continues to stare upwards. Surely he must be dreaming. He rubs at his eyes and blinks several times to clear his vision before looking back to the sky.

He sees a flash of movement across the wide expanse above him, not unlike a shooting star, streaking outwards from the moon. Except, it’s not a shooting star at all, he soon realizes as it travels lower and lower in the sky. It has a distinct human form with long legs and lanky arms and if Seungwoo squints properly, he can see the form’s loose clothing billowing in the wind. No, this doesn’t make any sense. He watches as the figure leaps gracefully through the sky, landing on the sparse few clouds as if they are solid stepping stones. Each time it moves to the next, a small burst of glitter follows in its wake, exploding outwards from the figure’s foot and then fading into the canvas of the sky, turning into dusty little stars. 

Seungwoo keeps watching, mesmerized, before realizing that he must be falling asleep in his spot, drowsy from the long day and the beer warm in his stomach. That’s the only explanation for seeing such a sight so vividly. He shakes his head like a puppy and lifts his arms above his head, stretching to urge the stiffness out of his limbs before standing up and heading back inside. He goes to make sure Wooseok has sorted the bottles into the correct bin (he’s known to forget which bin color is recycling and which is trash) and then pads down the hall to his bedroom to change into some more comfortable clothes.

He washes his face, waking himself up just a bit, splashing away some of the sleepiness that comes with being buzzed. He looks at himself in the mirror, taking in his downturned mouth and the tired look in his eyes. It has been quite a day. He rubs at his face and meets his reflection’s gaze and promises himself that tomorrow will be a new start and that he mustn't dwell on the disappointments of today. It gives him little hope, seeing as he’s been doing this almost every night for this entire month, but he can’t afford to be discouraged. He huffs a deep sigh and turns away to head to bed.

Responsible as he is, Seungwoo makes one final walk through his apartment to make sure the doors and windows are shut and secure. He checks the front door, still locked from when Wooseok had taken his leave. The kitchen window is closed as well and he passes through his living room on his way to finally turn in for the night. Except something catches his eye as he moves through the room: there’s someone on his balcony. He can see a solid form through the glass door leading outside, sitting in the same spot he had just vacated. It’s strange. But Seungwoo hadn’t heard any movement throughout his apartment or any doors opening, so how did someone get out there? And even stranger, why is he not panicking?

Seungwoo moves closer, approaching the door with slow footsteps. Something about the figure doesn’t raise any fear inside of him, instead he is only curious, and that curiosity draws him to slide the door open and step into the frame. He gazes at the back of the figure, feeling a peculiar sense of familiarity as he studies their broad form.

“Who,” he starts tentatively. For some reason he doesn’t want to startle them. “Who are you?”

The figure turns, peering up at Seungwoo with warm eyes. His face is round and kind-looking, all soft cheeks and curled lips. Something about him seems to glow from the inside out, radiating into the space around him. It makes Seungwoo feel calm.

“You said you wanted to hold hands.” His voice is just as gentle and warm as he appears. “Come.” He pats the spot next to him and the way he looks at Seungwoo has him obeying without a second thought.

Seungwoo finds himself in the same spot he had left just minutes ago, his legs dangling through the railing of his balcony, arms similarly hanging through. He looks over at his companion. Something about him feels _so_ familiar but he can’t quite place his finger on what it is. It doesn’t feel like he’s sitting with a stranger at all, instead it feels like he’s reunited with someone he hasn’t seen in a very long time. Still, it’s not awkward as they sit side by side, legs kicking through the air below them.

“Who are you?” Seungwoo asks again after a moment. He’s genuinely not worried at all by this surprise guest, but he does want to know his identity and why he’s here of all places.

The other tips his head to the side, looking at him with steady interest. “I’m the moon,” he says simply. “And you wanted to hold my hand.”

“The– the moon?” Seungwoo repeats, shocked. Of all the answers he expected, this was not one of them. “You’re the moon?”

The figure–the _moon_ –nods seriously. A short silence falls between the two of them, Seungwoo processing this information slowly in his beer-logged haze. A few moments go by and suddenly the moon’s expression falls, the soft smile darkening into an unsure frown. 

“Ah,” he says softly, looking down into his lap. “Maybe you didn’t want to hold hands.” He shifts suddenly, moving to get up, and Seungwoo jumps at this, not wanting him to go.

“Wait, no!” He reaches out and curls his fingers into the sleeve of the moon’s shirt, the fabric crinkling in his grip. “Wait, please.”

The moon looks back at him and his eyes glitter prettily, just like the stars in the sky. He settles back down, expectant.

“I’m just,” Seungwoo lets go of his sleeve, unsure. “I’m just confused.” He points up at the sky. “Aren’t you up there?”

The moon laughs softly. “I am, yeah. And now I’m here.”

“But you’re still up there?” The moon–as in the actual astronomical body–continues to glow in the night sky. The moon–the person beside Seungwoo–nods in response to this. It doesn’t make complete sense to him, but the way the moon makes it seem like it’s the simplest thing ever makes Seungwoo concede, nodding in agreement. He shrugs and leans against the metal of the railing. “Okay.”

They sit quietly again, the two of them just observing. The moon’s gaze travels around their surroundings while Seungwoo instead studies the moon himself. He has eyes filled with cosmos and his hair is a deep shade of blue that makes him think of a midnight sky meeting a vast ocean. His features are soft yet there’s still a certain sharpness to him, the edge of his jaw, the corners of his eyes, the slope of his nose. His entire being glows, as if his physical form is not enough to contain all of the light he possesses. He is magical, to put it in a single word.

Seungwoo is so focused on taking in each little detail of the moon that he doesn’t notice that the other is glancing over at him again, looking shy. It’s an emotion that feels out of place on someone like him.

“Did you still want to hold hands,” the moon asks quietly, looking down at Seungwoo’s fingers splayed against the ground.

Now Seungwoo is shy, his cheeks dusting with pink. He’d only said it out loud because the thought had suddenly crossed his mind. He hadn’t expected to ever have been granted with the opportunity. For one, he had never expected the moon to even _have_ hands to hold. Still, the way the moon’s gaze flickers from Seungwoo’s hands to his face and back again, as if unsure where to look, makes him smile gently.

“I do,” he assures the moon. This makes him perk up, his glow radiating even stronger, and he holds his hand out to him, palm upwards. Seungwoo takes it carefully, still not quite convinced he is an actual physical being beside him, but when their palms meet, all doubts are cast away.

As their fingers slip together, fitting between each other easily, a pleasant warmth spreads from their joined hands all the way up Seungwoo’s arm and throughout his entire body. The moon’s skin is warm and soft and it almost feels like the other is vibrating, a steady hum buzzing through Seungwoo, originating from where their hands are clasped together.

“It feels nice,” the moon says. He is looking down at their hands but when he glances up at Seungwoo, the smile he gives him is almost blinding. It shines brighter than the glow surrounding him. Seungwoo can’t help but stare.

“What?”

“You don’t get to hold many hands, do you?” Seungwoo doesn’t mean the question rudely; he just wants to know if the moon is as lonely as he thinks he is.

“Not really, no,” he responds, turning to the sky. “The opportunity doesn’t present itself very often.” He sighs wistfully. “I’m glad someone wanted to though.” He returns to look at Seungwoo with that same dazzling smile, rendering Seungwoo speechless.

A quiet moment slips by and the moon blinks at him, pursing his lips. “You stare a lot,” he says, not unkindly.

Seungwoo ignores this, instead blurting out, “Are you sure you’re the moon?”

He laughs and it is a musical melody that rings in the night air and spreads across the sky towards the stars. “Yes,” he says between giggles. “I don’t know how you want me to prove it to you. Should I jump across the clouds again?”

“That– that was you?”

“Who else would it be?” The moon pauses, serious. “I’ll do it again if you still don’t believe me.”

“No, no it’s not that.” Seungwoo shakes his head, hesitating. He isn’t sure if it’s normal to say something like this, but then he decides that nothing about this is normal and he continues anyway. “It’s just that– when you smile. It’s like the sun.”

This makes the moon blush, a deep red rising to his face. He ducks his head, hair falling across his brows as he looks into his lap. The hand tangled with Seungwoo’s suddenly feels much warmer and the buzzing grows stronger.

Assuming he’s said something wrong, Seungwoo rushes to backtrack, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. “No, wait, I’m sorry! I just meant–”

“That’s really nice of you to say,” the moon whispers, making Seungwoo fall silent. The corners of the moon’s mouth twitch as if he’s fighting off a smile. He looks shy, but overwhelmingly pleased all the same. “Thank you.”

“Surely someone has told you that before,” Seungwoo says, surprised.

The moon shakes his head, finally looking back up to meet his eyes. He smiles still, smaller this time, bashful.

“But,” Seungwoo falters for a moment before plowing on. He’s sure it’s the beer talking, but something makes him want to reassure the moon of his beauty. “But you’re _glowing_.”

The moon looks down at himself. “Oh? But I always do?”

“No, I mean. I mean when you smile. You’re so bright.” Seungwoo pauses again. He squints, feeling doubt cross his mind again. “Are you sure you’re not the sun? You’re not tricking me?”

“Stop,” the moon laughs again, taking his hand out of Seungwoo’s so he can bury his face in his palms. He’s even more shy now, hiding behind his fingers and curling into himself. Still, he shines, getting brighter and brighter beside him. “You’re the first to tell me that, so thank you.”

“It’s true,” Seungwoo insists. “You could be the sun.”

“I could never,” the moon shakes his head lightly, his hair flopping about. “The sun is even brighter than me.”

“That can’t be possible.”

“He is! I swear.” The moon hums thoughtfully. “That’s why he’s the sun. And I’m the moon.”

Something about the way the moon talks about the sun, and the look in his eyes as he does so, makes Seungwoo’s brows raise. He isn’t sure why but it also sends a small trickle of disappointment into his chest.

“So the stories are true then,” he says slowly.

The moon cocks his head at him. “Stories?”

“That the sun and the moon are lovers? But they’ve been separated for eternity and can do nothing but revolve out of reach from one another.”

There’s a pause and then the moon bursts into laughter so loud, Seungwoo startles. He looks around, hoping the neighbors aren’t disturbed before turning to watch the moon wipe tears from his eyes, still chuckling.

“Oh no,” he says, breathless. “Oh no no no. Please, that’s not it at all.”

Seungwoo stays quiet, mildly embarrassed. It had been a story he’d heard from his childhood and the way the moon had spoken about the sun had an underlying tone of love and affection, so he’d just assumed they were true.

“The sun and I are connected, yes,” the moon explains after he’s calmed down. “But we’re more like two sides of the same coin. Like brothers. It would be much more likely for one of the stars to be my lover.” He says this with a brief glance over Seungwoo’s face, as if gauging his reaction.

Seungwoo’s mouth forms a small ‘o’ as he nods in understanding.

“So I love him, yes, but not like that. And we do spend eternity together.” The moon chuckles again. “Oh, when I tell him that he’s going to be so embarrassed. It’ll be so funny.”

They sit in the quiet again, enjoying the night breeze as the moon shakes off the last of his giggles. Seungwoo’s hand feels cold, now empty from when the moon had pulled away earlier. He isn’t usually this brave, but there likely won’t be another chance for him to hold the moon’s hand again, and he wants to feel that buzzing warmth once more before it’s gone again. But, there’s one problem. He hesitates, unsure of how to address him.

“Uh,” he mumbles, blinking rapidly as he fights off more embarrassment. “Mr. Moon?”

The other jolts at this, neck whipping to the side to stare at him in confusion. An amused grin spreads across his face and it’s blinding once again. “Mr. Moon?” he repeats, sounding like he is on the brink of laughter again.

Seungwoo mutters incoherently, something about not knowing how else to call him.

“I have a name you know,” the moon teases.

“Well you didn’t tell me that!” Seungwoo retorts, flustered. He almost doesn’t want to hold his hand again.

“You didn’t tell me yours either!”

Seungwoo’s eyes widen and his mouth falls open, shocked. “Oh my god,” he worries. “I’m so rude! I’m sorry!”

“So rude? Is that your name?” The moon is playful, eyes glittering mischievously. 

Seungwoo whines, self-conscious. He hadn’t realized he had forgotten his manners around someone as important as the _moon_. “My name is Seungwoo,” he says quietly.

The moon brightens. “And mine is Seungyoun.”

Seungwoo gazes at him, mystified once more by just his mere existence. He’s so pretty and soft and he wishes he could keep him by his side forever. It’s warm with him next to him and he is sure he will miss it when he inevitably leaves after tonight.

“What? You’re staring again.”

Silently, Seungwoo just reaches his hand out in lieu of a response. Seungyoun understands easily, but this time he scoots a little bit closer before taking it and intertwining their fingers once again.

“So does the sun have a name too?” Seungwoo asks, curious. He gets an affirmative nod. “And the stars? The entire universe?”

Seungyoun laughs gently. “Kind of? There’s many of them. But I know a few.” He lifts a brow at Seungwoo. “Why? Do you want to see them too?”

Seungwoo looks down at his lap. “No, not really,” he says, sounding tired. Seungyoun picks up on this and he gives his hand a quick squeeze.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“The universe? Do you know him well?”

Seungyoun looks thoughtful for a second. “Well, there’s a lot of us that make up the universe. But I am close with the more important ones, if that’s what you’re asking.” He studies Seungwoo’s face, taking in the tired shadow that crosses his expression. “Do you have something you want to say to the universe?”

“I guess so.” Seungwoo leans back on his free hand, turning his head up to the vast sky.

“Tell me,” Seungyoun prompts him gently.

“Can you just,” Seungwoo stops himself with a sigh, but Seungyoun tightens his hold around his hand and he feels encouraged to go on. “Can you tell the universe to be a bit nicer? Just in general.” He hesitantly meets Seungyoun’s eyes, embarrassed to be admitting this. “It’s just been a bit hard lately.”

Seungyoun looks at him sympathetically and Seungwoo could just drown happily in the depths of his eyes. “I’ll tell him,” he promises and the way he says it with such conviction, determined and final, sweeps Seungwoo’s worries away.

“The universe isn’t necessarily mean,” Seungyoun continues, speaking seriously. “But I know he makes things difficult.” He reaches out with his other hand and gently brushes his fingertips against Seungwoo’s cheek. The touch just barely ghosts over his skin but it still sends sparks down his spine. “He just knows you’re strong enough to handle it.”

“I don’t feel like it,” Seungwoo breathes out his response almost automatically. He hasn’t felt strong in a long time. If this is the universe’s way of making him strong, the universe is sorely mistaken.

“You are,” Seungyoun speaks with such finality it makes Seungwoo press his lips together, taking the words to heart. “The universe knows. _I_ know.”

“Thank you,” Seungwoo whispers, unable to look away from the moon.

Braver, Seungyoun cups his cheek completely. Like their joined hands, it sends a pleasant buzz of heat through Seungwoo and he leans comfortably into the touch. Seungyoun’s hand fits perfectly against his face. 

“Don’t worry,” he assures him again. “I’ll take care of it.”

And Seungwoo believes him. He looks at him with such sincerity that he can’t help but trust everything that comes out of his mouth. A comforting sense of calm washes over him, pushing away the stress that’s been bearing down on him for who knows how long and he closes his eyes to fully delve into the feeling. He leans more into Seungyoun’s hand, enjoying the solid warmth against his skin before he opens his eyes again to see the moon gazing at him with a kind smile. They stay like that, just looking, connected by their hands. It feels like Seungwoo could stay like this forever, but the moment ends and Seungyoun’s touch falls away from his face.

“Thank you,” Seungyoun says suddenly, looking fondly at their still joined hands.

“For?”

He shrugs. “For saying I’m bright. For telling me your worries. For making me laugh.” He pauses, still looking at the hands. He lifts them, holding them up in the space between them and gazing at Seungwoo over their tangled fingers. “For wanting to hold my hand.”

“You can hold my hand whenever you want,” Seungwoo says softly. This makes Seungyoun smile and this time he just smiles with his eyes, his gaze shining at him with as much feeling as one could possibly convey with just a look.

“Is this goodbye?” Seungwoo asks when the other doesn’t respond. He gets his answer in the slight downturn of Seungyoun’s mouth and though he is disappointed, Seungwoo understands. He is the moon after all; he can’t be down here forever.

“Okay,” Seungwoo whispers, nodding. He still feels sad, but he wants the last thing he sees to be Seungyoun’s smile, so he attempts to give him his own. “Okay.”

“Go to bed,” Seungyoun tells him softly. “I’ll come back when you need me again.”

“Promise?”

Seungyoun laughs but there is a tint of sadness in the depths of his star-filled eyes. “I promise.”

Seungwoo nods and gets up, but Seungyoun doesn’t let go of his hand. He raises a brow at him, questioning.

“I’ll just walk you inside if that’s okay,” Seungyoun says and his expression brightens when Seungwoo nods quickly.

They move silently down the hall, hands still clasped in one another, only letting go when Seungwoo slides under his covers in his dark bedroom. Seungyoun sits gently on the edge of his bed and grabs his hand again.

“Thank you,” he says again and Seungwoo wishes he would stop because he hasn’t done anything for Seungyoun, but he has already done so much for Seungwoo. “Good night Seungwoo.”

His eyelids droop against his will, sleep drawing him away from Seungyoun dangerously fast. “Good night Seungyoun,” he breathes out, looking up at him from beneath fluttering lashes. 

Seungyoun swallows as if overwhelmed with emotion. His voice is barely a whisper as he watches Seungwoo fight off sleep. “Don’t worry, okay? And don’t forget. You’re strong. Stronger than the universe.”

Seungwoo squeezes his hand firmly. “And you don’t forget you’re bright.” His cheek sinks into his pillow, soft and comfortable, as his eyes fully close. “Even more than the sun.”

He feels the bed shift beside him as he grasps at the last tendrils of consciousness, not wanting this moment to end. A warm touch presses against his forehead but the heat radiating from it is much stronger than that from the hand still flush against his. It shoots all the way through him like a meteor and the last thing he remembers is his chest bursting with warmth before he slips into a deep sleep.

(The next day he wakes up to an email from the law firm he’d interviewed with, asking him to come in for a follow-up, and a balcony streaked with an excessive amount of glitter. He isn’t sure how it got there, but he has a feeling it has to do with the fact that he remembers very little from the night before. Still, this doesn’t unnerve him. Instead he feels a new sense of calm in himself, as if the burdens from the weeks before have been lifted from his shoulders by a gentle guardian. And when he looks at the moon later that night, he swears it glows brighter than he has ever seen before, as if waving hello.)

**Author's Note:**

> i actually got inspiration for this from a tiktok sound and i couldn't stop thinking about it until i wrote it down. it wasn't supposed to be this long, or this emotional?? but i hope that it could provide you with some comfort! ♡
> 
> as always, find me on [twt](https://twitter.com/godwdz)


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